Delta College trustees' acceptance of criticism bodes well for change

For that, the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees deserves praise.

The embattled trustees could have dug in their collective heels and fought back against a scathing grand jury report that said the college wasted millions of dollars in voter-approved bond money.

The trustees could have bogged down the future for new board members by combatively challenging the panel's findings.

Instead, they voted 6-0 earlier this week, in effect, to admit money had been wasted. And they vowed to move forward to improve the overall situation.

The board agreed with nine of the grand jury's findings and disagreed with five, adding some stipulations.

Importantly, six trustees were unified in their response. Trustee Maria Elena Serna is recovering from surgery and did not vote.

Several weeks ago, the board was split about how to respond to the report.

"Sometimes you take a second look at things. After that second look, you vote appropriately," Trustee Anthony Bugarin said.

The grand jury's main contention was that the board lost millions of dollars by choosing Mountain House over Tracy for a south-county campus.

The panel also was critical of the board, noting dysfunctional behavior and decision making that negatively impacted the college.

Some trustees question whether they alone should bear the blame for problems with Measure L, a $250 million bond approved by voters that clearly no longer will pay for all that was intended for the money. The college is investigating the work of bond consultants and whether there's legal recourse.

While that's fiscally prudent, trustees must realize they were elected to oversee all college matters, including the performance of bond consultants.

There are 11 candidates on the Nov. 4 ballot for Delta College trustee positions, which promises an infusion of new leadership - hopefully with new talents and approaches - to help the college move forward.

Delta College remains a crucial element of life in San Joaquin County. A recent survey of graduates found them overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of their education.

The 320 who responded to the survey gave the college especially high marks for increasing their ability to think critically, preparing them to move on to a university and increasing their respect for cultural diversity.

It's a classic "take the bitter with the sweet" scenario.

In this case, both bode well for a more positive future.

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